Owning It
by CPDRuzekFan
Summary: A Burzek short story. Using the promo photo of Ruzek with Burgess' sister Nicole in the bullpen as a prompt. Rated T for language and innuendoes throughout story.
1. Chapter 1

She had forgotten this side of him.

As she looked over the current state of her living room it all came rushing back to her.

Adam Ruzek was a slob.

There was no other way to describe it.

To be fair it had been balls to the wall since he had returned from his undercover assignment and his ultimate return to the unit. Add on that awful fire and Lexi's death little time had been left to breathe let alone discuss their current situation.

It was all a bit overwhelming, and a bit confusing.

He had kissed her, and it had been as wonderful as ever. It was perfect, an amazing kiss under the stars. It was a lot like their first kiss, except he wasn't engaged to someone else at the time.

It had been weeks since that kiss, and neither of them had mentioned it. She had gone over a thousand different scenarios in her head. Her insecurities getting the best of her, she tried reasoning with herself but it was pointless. So much had happened around them that talking about that kiss was near on impossible or appropriate. Their friend had lost his daughter, of course their personal drama had taken a back seat.

Didn't mean she liked it or that she wouldn't over analyze the shit out of it.

That was what she did best, turning little bumps in the road into massive sinkholes that swallowed everything in its path.

"Grr!" She growled in frustration as she began ripping the sheet off the couch, her senses immediately flooded with his scent. It was one of her favorite smells in the world, she plopped down on the couch and buried her nose in the sheet. She allowed herself to get lost in it for a few minutes before tossing it in the hamper, and collecting Adam's dirty clothes from the floor.

It seemed nothing had changed, Adam still stripped and dropped his clothes wherever he stood.

That place was her living room.

Just knowing he had stood naked in her living room did things to her that caused a blush to creep across her cheeks.

"Stop it, Kim. Get your head out of the gutter" she admonished herself, but damn she wanted in that _gutter_ or to be more precise she wanted _him in her gutter._

It was a damn good thing he had left already had he been here she would've jumped his bones. She was slowly losing her restraint where he was concerned, he'd been crashing on her couch for just over two weeks now. Each day she felt herself wanting him a bit more, she was certain she was going to burst at the seams over it.

He was going to hit the gym and then meet up for breakfast with his father before work. She was curious to how that was going to go down. Bob had called her just a few days after Adam had left, he had been pissed off that Adam hadn't returned his calls and wanted to know if she knew what was going on with Adam. The man didn't have the time of day for her when she was engaged to his son, but wanted answers from her. Answers she didn't have, saying he wasn't pleased was an understatement.

Adam hadn't told a soul he was going under, and he had faced some harsh consequences because of it.

Kim caught sight of the clock on the wall in her peripheral vision, she was pressed for time. Her daydreaming had eaten up most of her morning. She tossed the clothes in the hamper and moved it to the small laundry room in the back of her apartment. Rarely did she ever fall behind in laundry, she now found herself with at least three loads waiting to be washed.

Adam Ruzek was back in her life.

What that meant Kim had no idea, it was anyone's guess.

Though no one knew he was crashing on her couch, that they had discussed. It was no one's business and they certainly didn't need any outside influence on what was going on between them.

They've had enough of that to last a lifetime and then some.

Breakfast had gone over like a lead balloon, not that Adam had expected anything different. Bob Ruzek wasn't the poster boy for relationships of any sort, familial or romantic and he'd given Adam an earful on both fronts.

The second his pops started bad mouthing Kim, Adam was done. He angrily tossed two twenty dollar bills on the table and told the old man to ' _fuck off'._

Perhaps he should've hit gym after breakfast, at least than he would've been able to work his frustration and anger out on the heavy bag.

Whatever, what's done is done.

He grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to his desk, conveniently placed opposite his old desk, which was now Kim's. He was a bit surprised that she hadn't made her way in yet, she was always an early bird.

He hadn't been at his desk for more than five minutes when he was called into Hank's office. His gut churned, "What's up?"

Voight pointed to the chair, "Sit. Close the door." He barked.

Adam felt like a fifth grader who had been sent to the principal, "Everything good?" What a dumbass question, rarely were things good when you ended up in a closed door meeting with Voight.

The silence was deafening, Adam's knee began to bounce, he drummed his fingers rhythmically on his thigh. He wished the garbage can was a bit closer he was pretty sure he was about to get a second viewing of the eggs he had inhaled at breakfast.

Hank stretched his arms over his head before clasping his hands on the back of his head. He was enjoying this, perhaps a bit too much.

"Boss?" Adam gulped as the silence stretched on.

Hank dropped his hands and cleared his throat, he sat upright in the chair, "I just got off the phone with the CO from your undercover case."

Adam nodded, "Okay." He stiffened a bit in the chair, "and?"

Hank grinned, "Relax, Adam."

Adam felt the tightness in his chest loosen a bit, "Kind of hard too, you're kind of intimidating."

"You did good, kid. Your CO was just letting me know he's put you and the rest of the team in for an accommodation." He watched as Adam exhaled, the familiar smirk filled his face, "obviously with it being an undercover case, there's no big ceremony. No pomp and circumstance, but he wanted me to know."

Adam ran his hands along his thighs, "Wow. Okay."

Hank stood up and extended his hand to Adam, "I'm proud of you Adam. You handled all of this as I hoped you would have. I assume you've learned your lesson. You did the right thing, but it should have started in this office" Hank shook his hand, "I would've placed you in a unit, while you got your head together."

Adam nodded, "I understand. I'm sorry, and I'm grateful that you welcomed me back. This unit? It's my family."

Voight jammed his hands in his pocket, "That includes Burgess, right? You're good with her up here? She's good, Adam. A great addition to the team."

"Absolutely. I'm good. Burgess is great." Adam told him.

"Can I help you?" Erin greeted the woman.

She smiled, "Yes, the desk sergeant said I would find my sister up here. Kim Burgess. I'm Nicole. Is she here?" She glanced around surprised it was so quiet and calm. The way Kim talked it seemed there was never a dull or quiet moment.

"Ah, okay. I thought you looked familiar. It makes sense now. Kim should be in any minute. She had a meeting. You can sit at her desk."

Nicole set her purse on the desk, "Thank you."

Adam never gave much thought to accolades, yes it was nice that his hard work had been recognized but it wasn't why he was smiling. Nope. He was smiling because Voight was proud of him, that despite the brief punishment Hank was proud of him.

He could count on his hand and still have fingers remaining the times his pops had said he was proud of him, he'd given up on that before he hit puberty. He learned early on where he stood with his dad, it was the job, beer, the bears, and then Adam.

Whatever. It was water under the bridge, he needed to get his old man out of his head.

He stopped on a dime, "Nicole?" Adam called out, it was a bit weird to see her at Kim's desk, "Hey."

Nicole cringed at the sound of his voice, the man who had broken her little sister's heart, not to mention her daughter's heart. Zoe had thought Adam hung the moon and was beside herself when he had stopped coming around and cried for days when she realized he wasn't her 'Uncle Adam' anymore.

She set her cellphone on the desk, and looked up at him. There was a thousand people she would have rather seen, "Adam." Her tone was icy, "How are you?" As if she cared, she wouldn't spit on him if he was on fire.

"Good" He replied, he could see the daggers in her eyes, "How's Zoe?" He hoped bringing Zoe up would soften her just a bit.

"Fine." She snapped.

Maybe not.

Adam thumbed over his shoulder towards his desk, "I've got work to do, I should go." He knew when he wasn't welcome, "Take care."

Kevin leaned over, "Damn, Ruzek. She don't like you, homie."

"What was your first clue?" Adam rolled his eyes and focused on his work, he heard Kim's voice when she finally returned and her and Nicole vanished just as quickly.

Kim had been dreading this visit for days and she had hoped that something would have fallen into their laps. Anything.

Sadly, nothing had jumped off and they had been sent home for the day, and now she had to have dinner with Nicole.

Fun.

"Zoe how is she? I hoped she would've come too." Kim picked at her food, "I miss her."

Nicole pushed her plate away, "Zoe's fine. You could've come up you know. It's been months since you visited." They lived just a few hours north of Chicago, a bit far for a day trip but not impossible. "How are you? Really? Don't lie to me Kim, I'm not mom."

Kim sucked her teeth, "I'm fine, work has been crazy."

"Yes. I know all about work. The fire was all over the news. It was awful, and that poor man losing his daughter" she shuddered at the thought she had come far too close to losing her little girl.

"Well, it seems you know it all." Kim replied crossing her arms over her chest.

Nicole rolled her eyes, "You look like your niece right now, playing the petulant teenager are we?"

"What do you want to know?" Kim snapped at her. She wasn't a fool, she knew what her sister wanted. Didn't mean she was going to give it to her.

"Adam! That's what I want to know about, and you know it. I hate what he did to you, and now you're forced to work with his stupid ass. Do you know he had the audacity to speak to me. Even asked about Zoe! As if he cared, just the sight of him makes me so angry. I wanted to strangle him."

"He loved Zoe" Kim announced, she had loved watching Zoe and Adam interact, it was adorable. They had been thick as thieves, it had given her insight into the type of father Adam would be, she couldn't wait to have his children.

" _Right_. Like how he _loved_ you? I wouldn't call that love, and I certainly don't want it around my daughter or you for that matter. You should transfer."

"Excuse me?" Kim nearly spit her wine out, choking a bit as she forced it down her throat. "I will not transfer. I've worked hard to get to Intelligence, I'm not going to transfer."

"So you're going to breathe the same oxygen with the man who broke your heart? Are you a glutton for punishment? Adam is a deplorable excuse for a man, Kim. He's disgusting, just like our father!"

Kim jumped up from the table, "How dare you!" She screamed.

Every head in the restaurant was turned in the direction of the arguing sisters. Kim leaned over the table, "How dare you! How dare you use Adam's name in connection with our father. Adam is nothing like him! He's a good man! A loving man, a man who has never raised his hand at me in anger! A man who stood by me through the worst thing that has ever happened to me in my career! Even after I broke his heart in that courtroom he still wanted the best for me!" Tears pricked her eyes, the room began to spin, she was suddenly confronted with the truth. It wasn't pleasant, and in her defense of Adam she had finally faced reality.

It hurt.

She had sabotaged her relationship with Adam. He wasn't the one who didn't want to be on the hook.

It was her.

"I need to get out of here" she mumbled.

She needed to see Adam.

Adam was flipping through the channels desperate for a distraction of some sort. The run in with Nicole had knocked him on his ass, it had reminded him of how quickly his relationship with Kim had fallen apart. It had reignited his insecurities and had him doubting that he and Kim could find their way back to each other.

That night he kissed her, he had been hopeful. Fuck he had been hopeful right up until he ran into Nicole.

Suddenly the door flew open and Kim was in front of him. She was hysterical, her make up running as she cried.

Adam jumped up, "Kim!" He grabbed her by her upper arms, "What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He looked her over from head to toe and she appeared to be physically okay.

Emotionally? Not so much.

Kim sobbed, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." She repeated as she pulled away from him.

Adam followed her into the kitchen, "Kim. Tell me what's wrong. Why're you so upset?" He watched as she angrily loaded the dishwasher, "Kim!"

She stopped and looked up at him, "I've made so many mistakes.." she had managed to pull herself together, well enough to speak. She was still a mess, it wasn't easy knowing she had been the one to obliterate her life.

Adam groaned at the sound of the doorbell. "I will get it. Don't move. We need to talk, about a lot of things. I will get rid of whoever it is." Adam had done a bit of soul searching, he realized he wasn't the only one.

"Come on Kim." Nicole muttered as she bounced on her toes in the hallway of Kim's apartment building. She had made a promise to herself that she was going to remain calm and talk rationally about getting Kim to transfer. She really wanted her to move back home, but she knew that wasn't going to be an easy feat.

Baby steps. That was what her husband Doug had told her, but here she was sprinting right out of the gate.

Her heart stopped when he opened the door.

"What the hell?" Nicole blurted out.

"Nicole." Adam backed further in the apartment, "Come in. I will get Kim." He closed the door after she had stepped inside.

Nicole spotted the couch, that had been turned into a make shift bed, she recognized the black duffle bag in the corner of the room.

Adam was sleeping here at the very least, if not living with Kim.

It was official, her sister had lost her fucking mind.

Nicole followed Adam into the kitchen, "This son of a bitch is sleeping on your couch? You've lost your mind Kim! What the fuck!"

Adam grabbed his coat off the back of the chair, "I'm gonna give you two some space." He grabbed his keys off the hook the on the wall, "Nice to see you too, Nicole. Tell Zoe I said Hi." Was he being a bit passive aggressive? Absolutely, but it was clear to him why Kim had been so upset.

"Adam!" Kim called out for him, the slamming of the front door his reply.

 **Well, I'm giving it another go here, hope you enjoy it! Can't wait to read your thoughts on it.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Check the door!" Jay nudged Atwater, "Its Ruzek, thought you said he wasn't coming?"

Kevin shrugged, "He did, I guess he changed his mind." He whistled alerting Adam to where they were seated.

Adam nodded his head in recognition, he stopped at the bar and ordered two shots pounding them down in quick succession, he coughed a bit, "Thanks. Three beers" he pointed to where he was headed once the bartender told him it'd be a few minutes. The place was fairly busy and being down a few staff members did nothing to help.

Kevin hugged him, "Glad you changed your mind, man. What's the good word?"

"Drunk." Adam replied as he took the barstool next to Jay, "Lindsay let you out to play?"

Jay arched a eyebrow at him, "I don't.." he started to say only to stop when he noticed the look of bemusement on both Adam and Kevin's face, " She's having a book club meeting at our place...I know. You don't even have to say it. I know it's weird as hell" he laughed.

Their beers arrived and Adam chugged his.

Kim glared at Nicole, "I can't believe you!" Kim was mortified at her sister's behavior, "that was so rude."

"Please. It was the least of what that man deserved. He broke your heart" Nicole sat on the edge of the coffee table, "Why is he sleeping here? What's wrong with his apartment?"

Kim massaged her temples, she really didn't want to have this conversation. Her sister was worse than a pit bull with a bone, Kim would've rather been the bone for a pit bull. "When he went undercover he had to give his place up."

"That's stupid. You go under all the time" she waved her hands around, "you didn't have to give your apartment up. You're so gullible."

"Excuse me?" Kim didn't like what her sister was implying.

"Him crashing on your couch. It's obviously a ploy to get in your pants. Please tell me it hasn't worked." She shivered at the thought, "There's no telling how many vaginas that man's penis has been in."

Kim wanted to pull her hair out, "Stop it! Stop trashing Adam." She screamed at her, "He's not lying. He took a long term case outside of intelligence, He was gone for weeks."

Kim could see the wheels turning in her sister's head as she did the math, "Just after I was promoted" she knew her sister well enough to know that was her next question, the reaction Nicole had did surprise her a bit.

"Well, look at that!" She clapped her hands together, "He ran away from that as well. You can't make this shit up. The man is a joke."

"Stop." Kim muttered. She could feel her head begin to throb, she was starting to worry about Adam he had left almost two hours ago. She felt as if they had taken a step in the right direction and then Nicole showed up, and he stormed out. Not that she could blame him, not with how her sister was bad mouthing him.

"Why?" Nicole crossed her legs as she settled into the chair. She couldn't stomach the thought of sitting on the couch, "Someone needs to get through to you. Clearly he has you under a spell of sone sort. He isn't deserving of you Kim. He proposed to you then strung you along. I'm sure if you hadn't called it off he would've. I bet some bimbo would have caught his eye..shit, based on his history he was probably sleeping with someone else when you were still together."

"He never cheated on me! Not once did he cheat on me. Never even gave me a reason to suspect him of doing so."Kim spoke through her teeth. "You don't know him at all!"

"Please, Kim. Once a cheater always a cheater. He was engaged to.." she failed to come up with her name, "whatever her name was when you two first hooked up."

"Her name was Wendy. I kissed him, it was one kiss. That was it."

"I don't care, Kim." Nicole told her, "you can't see the forest through the trees" she went to hold Kim's hand, only for Kim to yank her hand away. Nicole knew she needed to dial it down a notch or two. "Kim, I love you, so very much. I've wiped your tears, I held you while you sobbed. Ever since we were little I've looked out for you, I've protected you from our father. From the bullies at school, from all the jerks in the world. The one time I trusted someone else to look after you...he broke your heart" she grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table, "I won't make that mistake again, and if you hate me for it I'm sorry."

Kim felt her lip quiver, "You don't get it, Nic. He didn't break my heart. I broke his." The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them. Truth be told she didn't know if she would've stopped them anyway.

They should've come out months ago.

Kevin kept his attention on Adam, he hadn't said more than a few words all night and looked like he had swallowed a bug. Jay had left just a little while ago and Kevin saw his opening.

"Talk to me Adam. What's wrong?" Kevin asked.

Adam curled his lip, "Nothing."

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter man. You're pissed. Why? I haven't seen this side of you in a long ass time, and I'd rather not see it."

Adam chewed on the inside of his cheek, "You really want to know?"

"No, Adam I don't. That's why I asked." Kevin shook his head, "You're my boy, talk to me."

"We had decided to keep it quiet, that it was no ones business but her's and mine." Adam picked at the coaster, "I've been staying at Kim's place. On the couch. I gave my place up when I left. I didn't know how long I'd be under. If I'd come back at all. Things have been crazy. It was working, and Kev, man I was hopeful. I kissed her. My first night home, in front of the 21st. It was perfect."

Kevin grinned, "That's fantastic."

"Yeah, well don't get your hopes up. When Kim came home earlier she was in tears, I felt like I'd been kicked in the balls. I hate seeing her cry, you know? It hurts." He slapped his hand against his chest, "I'm trying to figure out what happened. She's apologizing to me. Over and over again. We were gonna talk..really talk..."

"Good, its bout damn time." Kevin interjected.

"Didn't get the chance to talk, Nicole showed up. She hates me, so you can imagine how finding out I was staying with Kim went over. Her and Kim got into it, so I left man. Whatever chance we had...it's gone. I can't stay there. Not now. Kim can't break my heart again, man. I can't go through that again. Can I crash on your couch, just until I can find my own place."

Kevin would never turn his buddy away but he really wished he wouldn't given up so quickly, "Absolutely, but don't you think you should talk to Kim?"

Adam grabbed his coat, "I'm out. Self preservation, man."

Nicole was blown away.

"Oh my god, Kim." She was still trying to wrap her head around it all, "to think I liked Sean. A push test? What the hell?" Never having heard of something so ridiculous.

Kim cringed at the sound of his name, "I had just found out that I was Adam's third fiancée. Not my finest moment." That had been her first mistake, she had been given an explanation from Adam. Granted it was in a text message but Adam explained it to her. She never should've talked to Sean about it. All that being said she still couldn't place all the blame at Sean's feet, "Its not all his fault. I've got to own my part in it. I played into his hands. I was so insecure, I felt as if it was just a matter of time.."

Nicole already felt like shit, and Kim's admission only made it worse. "That Adam left? Like our father did?"

Kim sobbed, "Yes. So I left. Then I turned to Sean, just like he wanted. He trashed Adam at every turn, from the minute I told him Adam and I were engaged." She explained, "I thought he was my friend, Nicole. He was my partner, he was supposed to have my back. He didn't. I don't think he ever had my back."

Nicole held her hand, "I'm so sorry..I had no idea. I thought you were happy with Sean. You seemed happy." They hadn't visited much, but each time they had Kim was always smiling and laughing, Sean seemed to be good for her.

"I was, at least at the time I was or thought I was. I was confused. I'm still confused. Sean? He knew that. Hearing you rip Adam, it hurt me."

"I'm so sorry, Kim. Ugh..I feel awful about it, I had no idea." Nicole wanted to crawl into a hole and die, "I will apologize to Adam."

"I hated hearing you say those things...but I think I needed to hear them. It was like a slap in the face. It was confronting. I couldn't hide from it anymore, I couldn't allow you to speak about Adam that way."

"Well, I guess I'm thankful that my ugliness helped. I have to ask Kim, does Adam know? I'm thinking he doesn't...Kim he needs to know." She patted her thigh.

Kim blew her nose as she got up and walked to the window, "He doesn't know. I can't tell him, I'm afraid what it will mean. I feel like we've bridged the gap a bit and if I tell him..."

Nicole cut her off, "Kim, you need to. Adam is not free of blame in this, you said you had to own your part in it, he has to own his. Just like you. You need to talk to him, honey."

Adam hoped Nicole had left and that Kim was asleep. He was hoping to get his things and get out, he had already scribbled a note on the back of a napkin letting her know he was leaving.

Kim sat in the darkened living room, Nicole had left an hour ago with a promise to stop by in the morning to check on her and to apologize to Adam. Though Kim feared he wasn't going to come home, it was why she sat in the dark hugging her knees. The tears had stopped flowing a while ago, the immense sadness she felt still covered her like a heavy blanket.

She flinched when she heard the key in the lock, the familiar clicking sound as he turned the key, slowly the door creaked open.

Adam sighed when he spotted her on the couch, "Hi." He didn't bother turning the lights on, he left the door ajar allowing the light from the hallway to bathe the living room in a soft glow.

Kim sat up a bit, "You're home late."

Adam grabbed his bag, "Sorry. I thought I'd give you and your sister some privacy" he slung the bag over his shoulder, "I'm gonna crash on Atwater's couch."

Kim jumped up from the couch, "Why? Adam, you can stay here."

He backed up when she reached out to touch him, "Don't. Please, Kim. I can't do this...I can't. Thanks for letting me stay as long as you did." He rest his hand on the doorknob, "I will see you around."

Kevin grabbed the phone, "Atwater. Yeah, give me twenty minutes, Ruzek is here." He explained, as soon as the call ended he went into the living room, he smacked Adam's foot, "We caught a case man, we gotta go."

Adam rubbed the sleep from his eyes, it felt as if he had just fallen asleep, "What've we got?"

"White female late thirties, raped in the elevator of her hotel." Atwater told him as he brewed a pot of coffee.

"Shit."

"Yep."


	3. Chapter 3

Halstead and Lindsay pushed through the throng of hotel staff that had congregated near the service entrance, "This is unbelievable" Jay mumbled, it had infuriated them both when the hotel manager insisted that all police personnel came in the back.

All in hopes of not ' _upsetting the guests'._

Too late.

The woman that had been brutally attacked and raped? That was pretty upsetting.

Everything about this case was police using the front entrance wouldn't change a damn thing.

Erin could feel the anger rolling off Jay in waves, "Forget it, Jay." She grabbed his hand and gave it quick squeeze before dropping it.

He nodded his head, letting her know he appreciated the gesture and that he'd do his best to let it go.

They had arrived on scene before the rest of the unit, their apartment just a few blocks from the swanky hotel.

"Voight will handle the manager, let's just get to work." Erin nudged him towards a security guard, "Let's start with him." She pointed to the middle aged man, his face was a ghastly shade of white.

He had to have been the one to find the victim.

"I'm Detective Halstead" Jay had taken the lead, "my partner Detective Lindsay. I understand you found the victim?"

He chewed on the side of his pinky, "I guess. I mean I saw her, but it was after I heard this god awful scream. I had just had a smoke, and I was at the concierge desk" he was bouncing on his toes. "It was an elderly woman, she found her. The elevator doors opened and she was on the floor. Shit. There was so much blood, her pants around her ankles.." he forced the bile back down his throat, "I've got a little girl...not quite so little anymore, though. She just turned sixteen."

Erin felt for him but she knew she needed to get him focused. He was rambling a bit, "the elevators are they restricted to guests only?"

"No." He curled his lip, "Anyone can use them, we host a ton of weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate parties. You name it, we host it. That woman she going to be okay? As okay as one can be after that."

"We hope so, she's already at the hospital. We will keep you posted." Jay told him "there cameras inside the elevators?"

"Yes. Follow me" he led them to the security office, "I can pull the video up. We've got cameras located at every elevator bank, you'd be surprised with what people do in elevators."

"Are the cameras obvious?" Erin asked.

"Not really, they're pretty inconspicuous. The big wigs insisted that they weren't obtrusive. Said cameras might give the impression that it's not safe here. Chicago doesn't have the best reputation. I'm sure you know. Chiraq right?"

Chicago had often been called Chiraq, a combination of Chicago and Iraq. Though it wasn't that off base, the streets of Chicago were dangerous.

Adam and Kevin found Al speaking with an elderly woman, "Olinsky." Kevin nodded.

Al excused himself, "Ruzek. Where's Burgess?"

Adam shrugged, "Hadn't seen her. We just got here. Why?"

Al held out the clear evidence bag for Adam to inspect, "Our Vic? It's Kim's sister."

Adam felt all of the oxygen escape his lungs, he took the bag and flipped it over in his hands, it was her purse he recognized the monogram. He had always teased her over it, claiming she should've been living in the south the woman had her and Zoe's initials on everything. Her driver's license had been pulled from her wallet, he felt his heart quiver a bit when he looked at her photo. He had always thought she looked like Kim and it made him sick to his stomach, to think about what she has endured. He couldn't help but think of Kim, and how it would kill him if it had been her in that elevator.

Kim was going to be devastated.

"How is she? Be honest." Adam asked.

"A mess. She was raped and as if that wasn't enough he beat her. It was vicious Adam." He tugged on the beanie he wore. He was sick off all the horrors he encountered, his breaking point was near. He wasn't sure how much longer he could put himself through this shit.

"I need to find Kim." Adam shoved the bag at Al, "They take Nicole to med?"

"Yeah. The bus rolled out just a few minutes ago." Al placed a comforting hand on Adam's back, "Voight knows, he's signed off on you taking Burgess."

"Taking me where?" Kim asked, taking a sip of her coffee. She had been late to arrive on the scene, having to stop for coffee on the way in. Sleep had been elusive and if she had any hopes of functioning.

She had inadvertently sneaked up on them, "what is it?" She asked them, she wasn't sure where she should stood with Adam personally after last night but when it came to the job she knew exactly where she stood. They'd work together as if nothing had happened, they'd keep it professional.

Al grabbed her hand and moved to a empty office, "Kim, there isn't an easy way to say this.."

"What?"

"Your sister, Nicole. Have you spoken to her this morning?" Al questioned her "This the hotel she was staying at?"

Kim looked between him and Adam. "No. I haven't spoken to her. I don't know where she was staying...why do you ask?"

Adam crept closer to her, "Kim.."

It was as if a switched had been flipped at it clicked with her, the cup of coffee fell from her hand. The styrofoam exploding as it hit the floor sending hot coffee everywhere.

"Is it.." she choked out her hands shaking as she brought them to cover mouth.

Adam slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him, taking on all of her weight. "Let's go to the hospital."

"Oh my god...It's Nicole isn't?" Kim grabbed on to the collar of Adam's shirt, "What happened to her?"

Adam shook his head, "Not here let's go."

They rode to the hospital in complete silence, the only sound was the occasional muffled sob from Kim as she fought to contain her tears.

Adam parked just off to the left of the helipad, he tossed the CPD placard on the dash before exiting he raced to the passenger side of the vehicle. Hr helped Kim out of the car and held forearm in an effort to steady her as she walked.

"Maggie!" Adam shouted, "Nicole Silver, where is she?"

Maggie was clearly a bit confused, Kim looked to be catatonic. Her eyes were puffy and red, "She's my sister." Kim whispered.

Maggie inhaled sharply, "Oh.."

"Where is she?" Adam asked.

Maggie said nothing.

Kim felt her knees buckle, "What's wrong?" She leaned into Adam, thankful he was there.

Holding her upright yet again.

Maggie showed them to one of the on call suites, "Have a seat, I will get Will."

Erin coughed, choking on the stale air. The security room was small, a table top fan was working overtime to cool the room, all it did was whip up the cigarette smoke. It was nauseating.

"Sorry." Cliff smiled, though it was clearly out of embarrassment, "Can get pretty boring in here, aside from the odd couple going at in the elevator.."

" _Seriously_?" Erin rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. It's wild blow jobs, a quickie..."

Jay couldn't believe the guy was still going, "Cliff, enough. If you could pull the footage up for us, that'd be great."

"Yeah, of course. Sorry. My wife tells me I talk too much, I just ramble when I'm on edge.." he pulled a chair out and sat down at the rickety table which was used as a make shift desk.

It was strange for such a high end hotel to have such a shit security office, Jay hoped the security system wasn't shit.

A few keystrokes later Cliff had the elevator footage loading, "It'll take a few minutes to play."

True to his word the video loaded, "Can you fast forward?"

"Absolutely, how far?"

Jay hunched over the table, "Speed it up to when you about thirty minutes before you found her, then we can go back."

"Got it."

"Shit!" Jay pounded his fist on the table, causing it to wobble like a dinghy in the ocean.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Kim looked over at Adam who sat near the window focused on his phone, "Are you texting someone? Who is it? Have they told you something?" Her mouth was running a million miles an hour.

Adam slipped it in his back pocket as he stood up, "It was Kevin. He was checking in, he's worried about you. Nicole too."

"Should I call Doug?" Kim asked, "Or should I wait until I know something."

Adam stilled her hands, "You need to take a breath. I can call Doug, if you want. Just say the word." He and Doug had been pretty good friends, though he hadn't spoken to him since Kim ended things.

"Adam, Kim." Will pushed the door open, "Sorry to interrupt."

"My sister is she okay? Can I see her?" Kim grabbed Will's wrist.

Will motioned for them to sit down, he pulled a small packet of tissues from his pocket and sat them on the edge of the table, "Kim, your sister is in surgery."

Kim reached for Adam, "Why?" She managed to ask.

Adam wrapped his free arm over Kim's shoulder pulling her against him, "I thought you were her doctor, Will?"

"I was. I am." He corrected himself, "as we assessed her injuries, we discovered a brain bleed. It was severe, we brought in immediately and she was rushed upstairs."

Kim sobbed, "Kim, is the best neurosurgeon this hospital has. Your sister is in good hands. The best actually." Will offered.

Kim grabbed the tissues Adam held out to her, "Is she...will she?" She asked as tears filled her eyes, "She's a mom..."

Adam pulled her even further into his arms, her pain was suffocating him. Her tears were his silver bullet, nothing hurt him more or as deeply as seeing her cry. He placed a kiss to her temple, allowing his lips to linger.

"We know." Well rubbed her knee. Zoe wasn't a stranger having two appointments a year for check ups. "I need to get back to the ER, but I will keep you updated."

"Thank you." Kim mumbled.

Adam followed Will, "The rape kit?" The words burned his tongue as he spoke them. It made him physically sick to use those words when speaking of Kim's sister.

Will looked at his feet, "It was the least of our concerns, Adam. The brain bleed was our top priority. The plan is to get a handle on that, then we will handle the rape kit. You guys have a suspect yet?"

Adam looked over his shoulder at Kim, she had clearly decided to make the necessary phone calls, "Not yet."

"You'll find him. When you do, make sure you get in a few licks for me. Whoever did this? He's an animal, doesn't deserve a jail cell, he needs to be six feet under."

Adam nodded his head solemnly.

"Thanks, Will."

 **Thanks for the follows/favorites and kind words!**


	4. Chapter 4

Kim took two deep breaths, dabbed a tissue beneath her eyes and turned to face Adam, "That was Doug. I called him, he's on his way. You can go." She balled the tissues up and tossed them in the small wastebasket in the corner of the room.

She looked up at Adam, feeling his eyes following her every move. She grabbed a magazine from the desk before sitting down, "I mean it. You can go."

Adam shook his head, "I am not leaving you by yourself."

"Doug is bringing my mother. I won't be alone long." She fanned through the pages, desperately trying not to cry, she pulled the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth.

Adam slipped his hand in hers, "I'm not leaving you. Not now. Not when Doug and your mom get here. I'm not walking away."

Kim dropped the magazine in her lap and looped her arms around Adam's neck, "I'm so scared..she's has to be okay."

"Fuck!" Jay ran his hand roughly over the top of his head, the screen had gone black. "They tampered with the camera?"

Cliff felt his palms become sweaty, "I don't know...I guess, maybe. It's just.." he pushed back from the table, "the cameras are small..."

Erin cut him off, "Lets go check the elevator out, see what we're dealing with."

The yellow police tape cordoned off the area, taking the entire bank of elevators out of commission. A request that hadn't been well received at first, it had taken a serious tongue lashing from Voight to get them to comply.

Cliff waited as Lindsay pushed the tape aside, "Come in." She beckoned him with her hand, the metallic aroma of blood still clung to the air. She was careful to avoid the pool of dried blood as she stepped inside.

Jay looked quickly, "Where is it"

Cliff pointed to just above the keypad, "There. They're in the exact same spot in every car, they're linked to the main system with the cloud. I don't understand it all. The cloud mumbo-jumbo but I'm just an old man."

Jay pulled back the metal enclosure and located the tiny camera, "Well it's here, and it appears to be functional." The lens of the camera was no bigger than the tip of a ballpoint pen.

Erin sucked her teeth in frustration, "It was messed with remotely. You know what that means don't you?"

"I do." Jay responded as he replaced the covering, "We need to tell Voight."

Cliff hurried after them as they headed for the front doors, "Well I don't. I don't know what it means." Clearly disturbed at not being told what was going on.

Jay adjusted his sunglasses, "You don't need to know."

"That's where you're wrong! I'm security. I need to know." Cliff yelled out to Jay.

Jay stopped and jogged over to him, "If you need to know, we will tell you. Get back inside and let us do our job."

Adam bounced his knee up and down, they'd moved from the office to one of the surgical waiting rooms. It was set up like a small apartment, the only thing it lacked was an oven. A small fridge and a microwave sat in the ridiculously small kitchen, off to the right sat a small table.

He couldn't take his eyes off Kim, she sat at the table clutching her mother's hand. Theresa Burgess was clearly not a fan of his, she had made it painfully obvious when she arrived.

If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under.

"I could go get some food if you're hungry" Adam offered, patience was never his strong suit. He was too keyed up to just sit around and wait. He needed to do something even something as trivial as a food run.

Theresa pulled her glasses from her face and dropped them on the table as she huffed, "Food? No one wants to eat, Adam. To be completely honest I don't understand why you're still here." She rotated in the chair to face him, "Kimberley, what is he doing here?"

Kim cringed at the use of her full name, "Mom, not ." She begged reaching across the table to clutch her mother's hand, "I'd like Adam to stay."

"What?" Theresa was flabbergasted, "After all he did to you..."

"Theresa.." Adam inched closer to her.

"Ms Burgess" She corrected him.

"Okay , Kim wants me to stay. I'm going to stay." He told her, he certainly wasn't helping his case with his refusal to leave, and only served to piss her off.

She got up from the table, "Now you're going to stay? It's too little too late. As Nicole's mother, I'm asking you to leave." She folded her hands, ignoring Kim. "Go, Adam. Don't make me call security!"

"No!" Kim shouted, "Adam is here for me!"

Jay pulled the video Cliff had emailed him up, and projected it on the white board, "Camera records everything, up until about an hour and a half before Nicole is attacked. We never even see her get in the elevator. The screen is black" he explained. "The footage is stored on the cloud. Someone hacked it and deleted the video."

Atwater chewed the tip of his pen, "Who has access to the video?"

"Hotel security, all of the department managers. Upper management as well." Erin chimed in, "we're looking at twenty, thirty people. That's just one location though, they've got a few locations throughout the mid-west."

Hank held his hand up to cut her off, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on this hotel. I want someone watching the last three days of footage, see if we can start putting the puzzle together. Our guy is bound to be on that footage somewhere. What about Nicole any updates?"

Kevin leaned on his desk, "I talked to Ruzek a few hours ago. She was still in surgery, bleeding on the brain. Boss, she's critical."

"Which means we can't count on her for a description" Al grumbled, the pit in his stomach only growing larger. He was afraid it would swallow him up.

"Focus. Let's get to work. Alvin, my office." Voight waited for Al to get up and head for the office, Hank on his heels.

"Good work people." said as they finished up, "We did our part the rest is up to her." He thanked his team and sent them on their way. "Let downstairs know they can come up and get to work on the rape kit. I'm going to talk to the family."

Adam had moved as far away from Kim's mother as he could get, she was still sending icy glares his way. The same icy glares Nicole had given him just the previous day.

He had cringed when Kim and Theresa had gone at it.

The mother and daughter had ripped into each other, it was ugly and hateful and it was because of him. He had learned quite a bit, one thing stuck with him.

 _'It was a stupid test!'_

Kim had screamed at her mother in response to wedding date being pushed back, and it had his hackles up. He did the only thing he could at the moment.

He ignored it.

It gnawed at him as the day went on, he chastised himself for even going there. It wasn't the time nor the place.

Jay tapped his shield on the concierge desk, "Little help here." He was anything but patient with the staff. It seemed they were all too quick to get back to business. Truthfully it wasn't all that unusual it was a business after all, but the second they discovered that there was a good chance it was an inside job.

Finally a woman approached him, "May I help you, Officer?"

"Detective. Yes, you can. I need Cliff."

"Cliff?" She asked sounding a bit bewildered.

"Yes. Cliff. The security guard. Old guy." Jay replied.

"Oh, him. He left." She returned her attention her computer.

"Left? When? Where did he go?"

"Home I'm assuming."

Erin grabbed his arm pulling him from the desk, "Calm down, Jay." It was clear he was losing it with the bleached blonde woman.

"We need the manager." Erin returned to the concierge, "We will wait while you call him."

Will lead into the room, it had been a long night. Nicole's surgery had been long and intense.

"Kim, this is Doctor Peterson" Will introduced the surgeon to her, "I need to head out but wanted to make the introduction." He rubbed her upper arm, "I'm pulling for Nicole. We all are."

"Hi. This is Doug, Nicole's husband" Kim waited as Doug and the doctor shook hands, "and our mother, Theresa." She hadn't uttered more than a single syllable since the argument over Adam's presence.

She hadn't said much to Adam either she was painfully aware of the can of worms that her words had opened, she had seen the shock flit across his face. The confusion and then the hurt, and she hated that she had destroyed him.

"Hi, I'm the head of neurosurgery here. First off, surgery went as planned. Not a single complication."

Theresa released sigh of relief as Doug helped to hold her up, "Thank you you so much." She flew at him, wrapping her arms around him.

He rubbed her back, "There's more." He pulled back, "Nicole is very sick. Her assailant.." he stammered a bit, how did you tell a mother her child's head had been stomped on. He had left a bloody footprint on her back.

Adam moved to stand behind Kim, he had already been told. Kevin had included it in one of the dozen text messages they had exchanged. He didn't have it in him to tell them, especially Kim.

"Nicole suffered several blows to the head, fracturing her skull in multiple places. She had substantial bleeding and swelling. Rarely do I ever look at skull fractures in a positive light. In this case I am, the fractures helped to alleviate the pressure on her brain. In essence the fractures allowed her brain to breathe if you will."

"Oh my god" Doug cried, "Is she okay? What about...her other injuries." There wasn't a single part of him that could even say the word, he had thrown up each time he allowed himself to even think about it.

The doctor frowned, "The staff was assessing her when I left, they should know more soon." It was clear that Nicole had put up a fight.

"Can we see her?" Kim asked.

"Soon. I'm sorry though visitors are limited to two." He told her.

Adam could see the sadness in her stance, " Doc. Just this once, please? Just let her see her sister?"

"Ok. Just five minutes, okay? Five minutes. I will have a nurse bring you up once your sister is settled in her room"

"Thank you." Kim turned to Adam, "and thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

She gently lifted her sister's hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "I love you, Nicole. I need you to be okay, Zoe needs you to be okay. Doug too." She set her hand back on the bed, "I'm going to do it. So you need to rest up and get better so I can tell you all about it."

Kim forced a smile as she turned from the bed, 'She's going to be fine you'll see." She hugged Doug, "I love you, are you sure you don't want me to get Zoe?"

"Yes. She's with my sister and her kids. That's where she needs to be, Nic..." he sobbed a bit before regaining his composure, "Nic wouldn't want Zoe to see her like this and I don't either. Perhaps you could call her and check in?"

"Of course." She turned to her mother, tears in her eyes, "Mom.."

"I'm sorry." Theresa burst into tears, "I shouldn't have yelled at you or Adam. Whatever happened in the past is meaningless, you needed him today and he was there. I should've focused on that. I'm just so scared.."

"I know" Kim spoke into her hair as she held her mother in a tight hug. "It's fine..don't worry."

She shook her head, "Its not fine, we will talk when Nicole is better, okay?" She held Kim's hands in hers "once she's better we will sit down and talk."

Kim kissed her mother before heading for the door, "Call me if things change, and I will come right back." The need for sleep was apparent, the adrenaline of the previous day had finally worn off.

Adam's head popped up every time he heard the ding of the elevator, his stomach sick at the thought of Kim entering an elevator. Thankfully, the hospital had upped their security and a guard was riding the elevators at all times.

Kim was pinching the bridge of her nose as she stepped out of the elevator, Adam used his foot to push off the wall, "Hey, how's Nicole?"

She fell into his arms, knocking him off balance a bit, her chest heaving with each sob. Her eyes burned as the tears rolled down her cheeks, "Baby.." Adam mumbled into her hair, "Don't cry..."

He pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ear, "how is she?"

"Sedated. On a vent. She looks awful, the right side of her face is so swollen. Had they not told me it was Nicole" she shivered a bit, "I wouldn't have known it was her. How could someone do that to her?"

Adam followed her towards the parking lot, " How's Doug? I don't know how he's doing it...not knowing..." He sighed shifting his focus he had spent too much time imagining Kim in that bad, "Your mom? I'm guessing I'm not one of her favorite people at the moment, though I'm sure I was never her favorite" he laughed lightly.

"About that..."

"Forget it. It's not a big deal, she was scared and worried. It's fine." Adam followed her to the car.

"I can't forget it" Kim told him, "Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone"

"Kim, I don't know. It's not a good idea" he knew she was a mess and the last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of it. That coupled with her words still kicking around in his head, it wasn't the best combination.

She grabbed his hand, "I know. I want you to stay. Please Adam. Please come home with me."

"Alvin, you okay?" Hank asked, "No one would blame you if sat this one out."

Hank hunched over, "I need to do this. For Burgess. Once we catch this guy, I'm out." He pulled the beanie off his head and balled it up in his hands, "I can't do this anymore"

"That was MED, Burgess' sister is in the ICU. They completed the rape kit. It was brutal, they're testing the fluids now. Let's pray we get a hit and we can lock the son of a bitch up." Kevin hated few things as more than he hated men who abused women.

"Let me do the talking, okay" Erin pushed the door bell, "you've got to calm down Jay." He had been spitting nails angry since they left the hotel, and she knew they needed to play their cards close to their vest. They had differing opinions in regards to Cliff, she thought he was clean, whereas Jay was all set to to be the judge, jury, and executioner.

"So what I stand here with my thumbs up my ass?" Yeah, he was pissed.

"No. You just don't get to drag him back to the district and toss him in the cage," Erin clarified, "Just calm down. Get your head on straight."

"Can I get you a drink? Cook you something?" Kim asked as she tossed her bag on the couch, and her keys on the counter. She immediately opened the fridge and rummaged through it, "I need to go shopping..."

Adam pushed the fridge door closed, "What I want is for you to grab a bubble bath and then bed. You've been up for hours.." the sun had just dipped below the horizon, They had spent over twenty four hours at the hospital, "you're exhausted. I can see it in your eyes." He knew how much she enjoyed a bubble bath after a long day She'd tease him about it relentlessly, asking him to join her and when he agreed she'd comment on how it would make him smell like a girl. They usually ended in sex but he loved the times where she just leaned back against his chest and they just talked. Sometimes they sat in silence, just being in with each other was enough.

How he missed that.

Kim felt herself start to tremble, "I don't want to go to bed."

Adam leaned back against the counter, "because of Nicole?"

"No." She answered him instantly, "Yes. I'm scared."

"I will stay, don't worry." He massaged her shoulders, "You go to bed, I will be on the couch."

"No." She turned to face him, "I want you to lay with me."

"I will." He caved, unable to deny her, and he needed to be with her as much as she needed him. "You want a bubble bath?" Adam asked, as much as he wanted to join her he knew he couldn't. He could remember the night he finally gave in to her and agreed to a bubble bath like it was yesterday. He never again turned one down.

"I'm going to jump in the shower instead, I think your black sweats are in the clean laundry. You left them."

"Come on in." Annette Spurgeon opened the door, "don't mind Roscoe, he's a sweetie. A loud sweetie" she shooed the small dog away, "Clifford is upstairs, he's resting. Yesterday was rough, he's just beside himself with worry for that poor woman. Is she okay?"

Erin liked Annette she was warm and welcoming, "She's stable but critical. The doctor's optimistic though." She watched as Jay wandered through the vast living room inspecting each family photo hanging on the wall.

Jay taped his finger against one, "This your daughter?"

Her lips curved into a smile, "It is. Her name is Kelsey. She's the light of our lives."

"Detectives. Hi." Cliff greeted them, "I'm surprised to see you here. What's up?"

"We stopped by the hotel. You were gone. We needed access to all of the security footage. We were surprised you weren't there." Jay told him.

Cliff went to his chair, "I don't have the power to release it."

"We know."Erin pulled the warrant from her inside pocket, "This says the hotel will though. We left a copy with the concierge. We're just waiting, for it to be sent over to the district . We figured we'd check in with you, how are you?"

Cliff ran his hands over his face, "Okay I suppose. Seeing that poor woman...it was rough." He looked at the palms of his hands, using his index finger he traced the life lines on the palm of his right hand "How is she?"

"Hanging in." Erin responded.

Jay sat down opposite him, "Anything stick out in your head? Someone who didn't sit right with you...perhaps they made you uncomfortable?"

Cliff thought for a moment, "Nothing. It's been crazy though, I barely had time to sit down to eat. It can get chaotic. Controlled chaos, but it's still chaos."

Erin glanced at Jay, "Here's my card. Call us if you remember something, no matter how trivial you think it might be."

He studied the card, "Will do."

You'd think sleep would've come easy, it had for Adam he had been sleeping for at least an hour now. She was just a bit envious, she was exhausted mentally and physically but each time she closed her eyes she was assaulted with the image of her sister.

Her face bruised and battered, so swollen she was unrecognizable. The bed looked as if it would swallow her hole, the bandage around her head sent a shiver down Kim's spine.

They kept their distance, a small sliver of space was all that was between them. Kim couldn't resist any longer, she scooted closer to him and gently rested her head on his bare chest. The sound of his heart as it beat was comforting her, slowly she began to rake her nails across his chest.

Still sleeping Adam leaned into her, wrapping an arm around her. That simple action nearly broke her. She placed a light kiss on his chest and moved her head to watch him sleep.

She touched his face lightly, the slight scruff along his jawline tickling the palm of her hand. He was her rock, whenever things had gotten rough for he was there.

No matter what he had her back.

That didn't seem to matter to her though, she still let him slip through her fingers. Looking back on it now, it was a perfect storm. His lie of omission in regards to his very first fiancée had been what started.

Sadly, her partner saw it as his chance, and he pounced on her like a lion and his prey. He had her in his clutches and he destroyed her, he picked at her insecurities until she fell into his bed as if he was her savior.

"Got something!" Kevin shouted as he charged upstairs, a grainy photo in his hand, "this cat? He's been at the hotel the last three days. Including the night Nicole was attacked. One of the cameras near the main entrance grabbed him hanging around.."

"The elevator?" Al finished for him.

"Yes. CPIC is running it through facial recognition as we speak." Kevin felt rejuvenated, the exhaustion he felt earlier was gone.

They may have caught the break they had desperately needed.

Adam shifted beneath Kim, he brought his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, "Hey.." his voice still laced with sleep.

Kim stilled her hand, "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She sat up and leaned against the headboard, "I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes..all I could see was Nicole and how terrified she must've been. She was all alone and that monster...he hurt her..."

Adam pulled her back into his arms, "I'm so sorry Kim. I wish I had the answers." He stroked her hair as she cried.

"We got a name." Kevin announced as he tossed his cell phone on the desk, "Let's grab him up."

"Thank you." Kim sat up, she grabbed a tissue from her nightstand, "you're always so good to me, I'm not sure I deserve it."

Adam followed her into the kitchen, "Stop."

Kim was starved, she set about preparing a late dinner, "Pasta okay?" She asked him, it was a staple in her pantry, it was quick and easy.

"Sure." Adam sat at the table, "Can I help?"

Kim nodded, "grab some plates. I'd ask you to make a salad..but I know you. Not sure you'd know where to start" a small smile graced her features.

"Funny." Adam grabbed the plates and set them on the table, "Are you okay?"

Kim turned to face him, "Not really."

"Have you checked in with your mom?"

"No. She will call if things change." Kim told him, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

She reduced the heat on the stove before she sat down, "After everything I did to you..."

Adam held his hand up to silence her, "You don't get it, Kim. You stopped loving me...I never stopped loving you. Not even after I found out about you and _him_. I wanted to stop, I didn't want to care anymore but I couldn't." He knew he needed to ask her about the test, "you told your mom that it was a test. What did you mean"

"Ugh..' Kim groaned.

"Never mind. Forget it. I shouldn't have asked. Not with all that is going on. I'm sorry." Adam felt like an ass.

 **Not my most favorite chapter.**

 **Not** my most favorite chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Adam waited as Kim spoke with her mother, the grim look on Kim's did little to calm his nerves. While she checked in with her mom, he had checked in with Kevin.

They had a promising lead, but that was all Kevin could tell him.

Adam was iced out.

Kim finally ended the call, "No change." She clutched her iPhone in her hands turning it over as she spoke, "though the doctors say it's expected...that she didn't get worse."

Adam nodded his head.

"Did you talk to Kevin?" Kim asked, desperate to fill the silence.

"I did." Adam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "They have a suspect..in their sights. That's all he'd tell me." He scratched at his chin, "You okay?"

Kim frowned, "Not really. Doug is beside himself with guilt, Zoe is terrified."

"I'm sorry." Adam didn't know what else to say, there was nothing he could say. There wasn't a damn thing he could do to help her.

Kim pulled her knees to her chest, "I was stupid, and I was so scared, Adam." She knew she couldn't ignore it any longer, he deserved to know.

"About?"

"The test." She leaned her head on her fist, her elbow on the arm of the couch, "I was testing you, I was scared. I was beginning to see a pattern...and someone said I should test you."

Adam laughed at how absurd it was, not that it was even remotely funny. "Who?" He asked only to stop her, "forget it..it doesn't matter who it was." He had a hunch who it was he didn't want to hear his name "So you ended things because of a test..one I didn't even know I was taking?"

Kim covered her face with her hands, "I was so afraid, Adam. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop...and it was eating me alive. So I thought I'd end it..."

"Before I could?" Adam asked, "Why, Kim? I explained Nicole to you. I was a dumbass kid..it meant nothing."

Kim got up and began to pace, "I watched my father break my mother's heart...he just up and left. My mother was miserable...I never saw him again. My mother dated a few men, they all left in the end."

"Kim.."

"Please, just let me finish. Every man in my life has left me...I loved you, I still love you. I was so afraid you'd leave that I had to be the one to leave...I couldn't...I wouldn't let you leave me.." she started to cry, "I left you, then looked for someone safe..someone who could leave me and I wouldn't bat an eyelash. I went to him..trying to forget you..trying to get you from here..." she placed the palm of her hand over her heart, "but it didn't work..you're still here. Now, I'm just afraid that I've ruined everything."

Adam went to her, "Kim, I wish you would've talked to me..I didn't know what the fuck had happened..." he grabbed her hands, "..I figured if you wanted to push the wedding back that I needed to agree..you brought it up again when I was suspended. I started to freak out a bit, I didn't know what had changed. I know I wasn't all gung-ho about wedding planning..I hate that shit. It didn't mean I didn't want to marry you..."

"Why didn't we talk to each other?" Kim asked as Adam led her back to the couch, "I'm so sorry about that day, Adam. I hate that I hurt you."

"Forget it. Kim, I made mistakes...I need to own that. I should've ran after you that night. I never should've let you walk out. I know that now. What's done is done. I don't want to talk about it or him. I want you. I need you"

Kim pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth, "Can you forgive me?"

Adam grabbed her face in his hands, "Done." He whispered before catching her lips in a searing kiss.

 **TWO WEEKS LATER**

Nothing was more frustrating that a lead that didn't pan out, they seemed to be chasing their tails.

They had tracked their guy closely, Dean Schroeder was an elusive motherfucker. His shit hole of an apartment had been cleared out and there was nothing left behind.

Except a toothbrush.

That had been a mañana from heaven, Schroeder had slipped and they had taken full advantage of it. They immediately sent it to off to the lab and it was an exact match to Nicole's attacker.

That was over a week ago and nothing since.

It was as if he dropped off the face of the earth.

There had been good news.

Nicole was awake.

She was going to survive.

The damage had been done though, her rape had been vicious and she had suffered serious injuries because of it. Sadly, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Her head injuries were significant, she had suffered some cognitive impairment and she would be unable to identify or testify against her assailant.

Which only made their job that much harder, they needed irrefutable proof that Dean Schroeder was their guy.

They had yet to find it or him.

All they had was a mountain of circumstantial evidence, and that wasn't nearly enough.

"Uncle Adam?" Zoe brought her eyes up to meet his.

"Yeah?" Adam responded, he had always been close with Zoe, but he was a bit surprised when she first addressed him as 'uncle', "What is it?" He liked it though, actually he loved it. He loved her.

"Did you find him yet? The man who hurt my mom." She picked at the grilled cheese sandwich on her plate, "What if he comes back?" Tears glistened in her eyes and her lip quivered.

"Ah, Zoe." Adam got up from his seat and squatted down in front of her, this kid who had already been dealt far more than anyone should have to deal with let alone a child, now had to deal with this. It only fanned the flames of rage that lived in Adam's gut. "We will find him, I promise you that. You're safe Zoe. Your dad won't let anything happen to you."

Zoe shrugged, "He's here all the time" she pointed upwards, "he's always here, and grandma too. I don't want to go back home I wanna stay here..." she paused, "with you, Uncle Adam. You and Aunt Kim. You're her boyfriend again, aren't you?"

Adam couldn't stop himself from my smiling, "Something like that yeah. I don't live with your aunt though. I'm staying with Kevin. You remember him, right?"

"Yeah. You need to stay with Aunt Kim! You need to keep her safe!" She started to cry, "what if that man decides to hurt Aunt Kim and she's all alone?"

Adam inhaled a deep breath, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Aunt Kim or you, okay? If you want me to stay at Aunt Kim's, I will. As long as Aunt Kim says it's okay."

Zoe threw herself at Adam nearly knocking him over, her arms in a death grip around his neck, "thank you!"

Doug helped Nicole with her lunch, "Good job." He praised her when she successfully took a sip from the cup, having graduated to a cup without a straw. It reminded him of Zoe's toddler years.

Nicole wasn't very receptive to his praise, her speech had taken a serious hit and she was clearly agitated. She swatted the cup on to the floor, "Nnnn.." she growled, they had learned what few words or more precisely sounds she did have meant.

That was a No.

Theresa grabbed some towels and got to cleaning the spill, "Nicole baby, you're tired. Try and get some sleep." She offered, Nicole grunted a few sounds, as she struggled to adjust her blankets around her.

Kim couldn't bare it any longer, seeing her big sister in such a state was not easy, "How about I take Zoe for a bit." She rubbed Nicole's leg, "She can spend the night."

"You sure?" Doug asked, "You don't mind?"

"Of course not. Adam's off tonight, I'm sure he will love it." Adam and Zoe were two peas in a pod.

"Aunt Kim, how's mommy?" Zoe nearly barreled her over when Kim found them in the cafeteria, "Uncle Adam said I can stay with you and him, it's okay right?"

Adam looked sheepishly at her, "Sorry.."

Kim grabbed his leg under the table, "That's perfect." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Mommy is getting better, but it's rough. She's trying though, remember what daddy said?"

Zoe sighed, "She's working hard every day to get better. It's been too long. I want to see her!"

It broke Kim's heart, but it was clear to all that Nicole wasn't ready for a visit from Zoe. Her TBI aside the bruising on her face was still hard to look at, all valid reasons to keep the twelve year old away.

"Hey Zo...how bout we stop by the district." Adam suggested, knowing how much she liked to visit.

"Yea?"

Adam looked at Kim, "Sound good?"

"Yeah, let's go." Kim watched as Zoe slipped her small hand in Adam's, she wrapped her arm around his waist, "She loves you."

Adam smiled, "She's a smart kid. Must take after her aunt." He kissed her temple, "I love her, and I love you."

"I'm going in." Erin dug her heels in, "We need someone at that party. Let it be me." She folded her arms across her chest, "I can handle it. You guys will be right outside. I don't see the problem.." she huffed.

"You don't?" Jay but back, slapping his hand against the photo of Nicole, "how about this! Look what he did to her."

"Jay.."

"Don't Jay me, Erin. We've seen what this animal is like." Jay pounded his fist against the board, "Hank..help me out here..."

Hank jammed his hands in his pockets, as he opened his mouth to talk Zoe bounded up the steps, "Kevin!" She called out, "I missed you!"

"Hey girl. I missed you too." He occupied her as Jay and Erin spun the board around.

"Hey." Kim hugged Erin, "What's up? I feel like we walked in on something." She leaned into Adam, "Do you have a new lead?"

"Hang on" Adam interrupted them, "Zoe, you wanna go see Sergeant Platt?"

Oddly enough the kid loved the cantankerous woman, "can I?"

"Of course" Kevin told her.

"No." Adam folded his arms, "Absolutely not. No fucking way." He told her, she was out of her fucking mind if she thought he'd be okay with this.

"It will be fine Adam. Erin will be with me. You guys will be right outside." Kim explained.

She had to do this, she'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

They had learned of a party that Schroeder would be at, the plan was to get him riled up in hopes that he'd go on the attack and then the unit would charge in. They'd be able to do a DNA test, giving them the concrete evidence they needed.

"Guys, Kim and I can do this. We can handle it." Erin leaned against the counter, "We need to stop this bastard..we can do it. You just need to trust us."

Hank nodded, "Ruzek, Halstead. I get it I do, but Erin is right. We can't let this guy get away from us. Lindsay and Burgess are good police, this is our best chance."

It was hours and a few tears later.

To say Zoe was disappointed about the change in plans would've been a massive understatement, she wasn't pleased about going back home and staying with a friend. It had taken a promise of a week long sleepover to finalize the deal.

They spent the last few hours going over the plan, they had gone over a thousand different scenarios and now she was ready to go.

The guys had gone into the weapons closet and she took a few minutes to sneak off into the locker room.

She stopped in her tracks, surprised to see Adam sitting in front of her locker his back to her, "Adam..hey."

"Darlin', come sit." He straddled the bench and waited as she sat between his legs leaning back against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her, "You need to be careful...okay? Don't be a hero...trust your instincts, they're spot on."

Kim leaned back so she could look up at him, "I will be fine, I need to do this. I need to get justice for my sister. This is how I can help her. Just cover my ass..."

"Covered." He smirked, the conversation was reminiscent of one a few yeas ago. "I will be right outside, just say the safe word and I'm in..okay?"

She turned in his arms, "I know. I don't want to talk for a bit..I just want to sit with you. Just you and me."

"Done."

 ** _Kind of short but I've battled some serious writer's block and this is the best I've got, hope the next chapter doesn't give me the same difficulties._**

 ** _I realize Nicole's husband is actually named Jordan...but didn't know that when I started this and changing it now would be a pain in the ass._**

 ** _I'm so excited for Wednesday!_**

 ** _Thanks for reading and reviewing!_**


	7. Chapter 7

Of course they put him in the surveillance van, claimed he was a liability anywhere else, he was also told it was this or nothing.

So he sat, with Trudy Platt of all people.

How Jay was given an active role in the sting he'd never know, and thinking about would only piss him off further.

"Shit. Ruzek, quit bouncing around..you're worse that a child." Platt nudged him with her elbow.

They were in tight quarters and he knew he was grating on her nerves, "Sorry." He mumbled, he used the controls to control the video camera Erin had embedded in her top, it was top of the line equipment and Adam was thankful for it.

At least he could see Kim.

From what they could see on Erin's body camera was that the crowd was small, the majority of this in attendance had broken off into pairs. Leaving Erin and Kim with a group of four guys.

One was their man.

That had Adam's blood running ice cold.

This was a lot harder than he had anticipated.

"So.." Trudy turned to face Adam.

"So?" Adam retorted, not in the mood for idle chit chat, never taking his eyes off the monitor.

"You and Burgess. You're a thing again?"

The smile was impossible to stop, Adam bobbed his head up and down, "Yeah. Taking it slow, but yeah. We are back together."

Erin leaned into him, his hand running up the inside of her thigh, "What do you say we get out of here.." he whispered in her ear.

"Woah, slow down big boy.." she purred, "in due time. My friend...she's alone."

He pulled back and looked over at Kim, "She's not alone she's with D. He will show her a good time..let's go have a party of our own..."

Erin looked at Kim, "Baby girl..." she knew their best option was to divide and conquer approach. Get the two guys away from each other and hopefully they'd run their mouths just a bit.

Kim's jaw was clenched, "I'm good..go get you some." The emotion her eyes unnerved Erin, their usual warmness was gone, leaving a vacant cold look in them.

"We've got separation." Platt mumbled into the radio, she could see the blood drain from Adam's face from the corner of her eye. She reached out and squeezed his knee, "Kim's good police, Adam. The team is in that building, if it goes south they're inside in minutes."

"I know that's supposed to make me feel better" Adam watched the screen, Erin had moved into another room. It wasn't well lit, and almost impossible to hear their conversation. "It doesn't though. I won't be okay until Kim is out and okay."

Atwater adjusted his gun on his hip, "How long are we gonna let this go on?" He asked Al as they listened to Burgess and Schroeder talk.

It made Atwater's gut churn, Schroeder's words were vile and disgusting but Kim was lapping them up.

Schroeder held her in his lap, his hands on her hips, "You feel that?" He pulled her even closer to him, making sure she knew just what she was doing to him.

Kim choked back the bile that had risen up her throat, "I do.."

"Yea?" He leaned forward to kiss his way across her neck, "You like it rough?" His hand grabbed her wrist, "cause I do...I like it even more when you don't.."

Kim tried to free herself from his clutches, "That's right baby, fight me."

Adam stiffened in his seat, they had lost their visual on them but the audio was coming through loud and clear.

His heart thudded in his chest, his fists instinctively curled into fists, "Fuck this shit!" He jumped out of his seat, the door to van thrown open.

Platt grabbed his arm, "Not yet, Ruzek."

"Fuck off! I'm going in." Adam growled, a patrol car careening around the corner.

Platt held her hand up to stop the patrol officer, "Listen, and listen good. This plays out on of two ways, Adam. You get tossed in the back of that patrol car and hauled back to the 21st. Or you take a breath and have faith in Kim to have a handle on things. You trust your team to have her back. Which is it gonna be?"

Adam scowled as he climbed back in the van, the last place he wanted to be was the 21st.

"Thank you." Platt spoke as the van door slammed shut, she turned to the patrol officer "stay close."

Kim felt as if her skin was on fire, his hands were the gasoline igniting everywhere he touched. Visions of Nicole flashed through her mind's eye fueled her. She was going to get retribution for her sister, no matter the cost.

"Mmmm.." Kim hummed, Schroeder's hand working to unbutton her pants, "you're good at this...your lips are magical." The sickeningly sweet tone of her voice made her nauseas.

His hands stilled, "Shut up!" Her compliance was killing him, she wasn't supposed to like it.

Kim saw it flash in his eyes, she had him.

"I want it...I want you..fuck me.." Kim panted, she watched as he stood up his erection gone, "what the fuck?" She jumped up, "are you serious right now?"

Adam covered his mouth with his hand, he didn't like how this was unfolding. Kim was goading him, she was trying to piss him off.

Platt held her hand up, "five minutes Ruzek, that's all she has. Give her a chance."

Kim grabbed her top and put it back on, "What a fucking waste of time.."

Schroeder grabbed her, "Where are you going?"

"A bar..home. I don't know..but I'm not hanging with you and your limp dick." Kim reached for the door, only to have Schroeder grab her around the waist and violently tossed her on the bed.

"Don't think so.." he sneered, "No bitch is gonna tell me no." He yanked at her pants.

Kim's calm cool exterior from before had slipped away, "You bastard! You did it..didn't you? You raped my sister!

"Fuck! That's it, everyone in!" Voight screamed as he took the stairs two at a time.

Ruzek was out the van and rounded the corner in lighting fast speed, Atwater was already headed up.

"What?" Schroeder stood up, "How the fuck.."

Kim took her chance and tried to get off the bed, only for him to come back at her, he jammed his forearm into her throat making it impossible to breathe, she fought against him.

He laughed, "Yeah, baby. That's it. You've got more fight in than your sister did..look at me keeping it all in the family" he grabbed her hand, "you feel that..it ain't a limp dick anymore now, is it? I'm gonna pound the fuck out of you, you won't be able to walk for days..."

Jay found Erin, "You good?"

She nodded, "I am. One in cuffs in the back bedroom...they scattered like roaches as soon as you boys busted in" she had cuffed her guy as soon as she heard the unit charge in, "where's Kim?"

"Ruzek and Atwater are on it. Just come here..please?" He needed her in his arms even if just for a minute, he couldn't imagine the turmoil Ruzek was in and he just needed to hug his girl.

"I'm fine, Jay." Erin reassured him, "We've got work to do."

The shot rang out an eerie quiet filled the room.

Time stood still.

"Kim!" Adam raced in, "Kim!"

 ** _Short, I know. I'm sorry?_**


	8. Chapter 8

Adam dropped on the bed, "Kim..talk to me."

She looked awful, her pants unbuttoned had been yanked down to the middle of her thighs, her top and bra were ripped leaving her exposed. He ripped his jacket off and covered her with it. Her face was blotchy, fresh tear tracks on her cheeks. Her neck was red and already beginning to bruise, her lip bloodied.

"He did it. He raped Nicole." Kim spoke.

Adam held her hand, "I know. We've got it on tape." He looked over his shoulder to the floor where Schroeder lay writhing in pain.

Atwater had shot him.

One shot to the leg and the guy dropped to the floor like a lead balloon, Kevin flipped him over on to his belly and cuffed him.

"Let's go.." Kevin growled as he dragged him from the room.

"Thanks Kev." Adam nodded as they left, he owed his buddy a few beers.

Hank approached them, "Kim..you okay?"

She pulled Adam's jacket tighter around her, "I am."

He looked Adam, "Go with her to the hospital. We've got this."

"This is ridiculous Adam, I'm fine." Kim twisted the hospital bracelet on her rest, she'd already had X-rays of her chest and neck and was now waiting on the results. Her lip had already been stitched up, "I need to get to Nicole."

As she attempted to get out of the bed Adam placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down, "Kim. You need to stay put. Once the doctor gives you the all clear we will go upstairs."

"I'm fine!" She retorted.

"Well I'm not." Adam replied, "Tonight was hell on earth. I'm not okay..I was scared shitless...can you just humor me? Please?" His hands were still shaking, and his heart racing.

She held her hand out, "Come here.." he had started to pace he was like a caged animal. "Adam.."

"I couldn't breathe.." he mumbled ignoring her request, "that whole time..I had this crushing feeling on my chest." He explained slapping his hand against his chest, "I was fucking scared."

Kim had never seen Adam so distraught, "Adam. Look at me." She sat upright, "its just a small cut and some bruises, that's it. I'm okay."

He finally stopped pacing, "I love you. I fucking love you Kim. Every fiber of my being loves you. I need you to know that, alright?"

Kim fought against the tears in her eyes, "I love you too..." she gasped when Adam crashed his mouth against her's.

Theresa's gut churned, she wasn't sure how much more she could take. Kim had promised to call her as soon as she could; that had been hours ago. As the sun rose on a new day, her patience was reaching its breaking point.

She looked over at Nicole who was finally sleeping peacefully, she was a powder keg of emotion and you never knew when she'd blow up. You never knew the emotion you'd get, she could be angry as hell, or dreadfully sad. What was the eeriest of all would be the fits of hysterical laughter. She'd cackle for the longest time, the kind of laugh that starts at the bottom of your belly and causes tears to roll down your cheeks and your sides to hurt.

Traumatic brain injuries were terrifying and unpredictable, she had a long road to travel and it wasn't going to be easy on anyone.

Needless to say Theresa needed Kim to be okay.

The door slowly crept open as Adam pushed the wheelchair in, "Mom.." Kim whispered, "..its over, we got him." She shakily stood up, her body wasn't pleased with her at all. She had been roughed up pretty good and everything ached, but nothing was broken and she would be discharged by the end of the day.

"You're okay?" Theresa pulled Kim into her arms, only to push her away just as fast. She looked her over from head to toe, "You're hurt? You've got a hospital bracelet on..what happened?" She looked between Adam and Kim.

"I'm okay. A little sore. How's Nicole?" Kim slowly padded across the room to her sister's bedside, "she looks peaceful."

Theresa went to pull a chair, Adam quickly intervened "I got it .."

She placed her hand on his forearm, "I'm sorry Adam."

Adam smiled, "It's okay."

She wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry." She sobbed.

He ran his hand lightly over her back, "Me too.."

Kim looked in the mirror it had been six months and the only reminder of that night was the small scar on her neck, it had taken just a few stitches to close up. She ran her fingers over it, it was smooth beneath her fingertips.

It was her badge of courage.

She had looked the beast in the eye and beat him. He hadn't broken her, nor had he broken Nicole.

Kim was so proud of her sister, watching as Nicole overcame every obstacle in her way was something to behold. She was finally released from the rehabilitation center just a few weeks ago and today would be all about her.

A welcome home party for the ages.

Zoe had been the one to push for it and after a little convincing Nicole was finally on board.

Adam swooped in behind her leaning into her back, his hands splayed across the tiny swell of her abdomen, he pushed her hair aside to allow his lips to feast on her neck.

Kim reached up to touch his cheek, "Hey baby.." she leaned against his chest, "you sleep well?"

He mumbled something unintelligible, he continued to kiss a path across he neck and growled when Kim pulled away from him, "hey.."

Kim grabbed her toothbrush and the toothpaste, "Adam I just vomited at least let me brush my teeth."

Adam nodded, "You know I don't care.." he turned to the toilet, "anyway..what time do we need to leave?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "You couldn't wait for me to leave before you peed?" She swished mouthwash around her mouth before spitting it in the sink, "Jesus Adam, your aim is shit. It's amazing you're able to fire a gun."

Adam laughed, "Babe, this gun here.." he smirked, "it's a big one..not easy to control a weapon of this size.."

Kim rolled her eyes at him, "Don't forget to wash your hands." She reminded him as she left the bathroom, his whining could be heard as she went down the hall.

Over the course of the last six months a lot had changed, not only had they moved in together but they purchased a house just a few blocks from the 21st. It was a handyman's special, it needed work but the guts of it were solid. Adam did the majority of it on his days off, it was a three bedroom with two bathrooms. Kim loved the openness of it, and the porch that ran the length of the house was one of her favorite spots. It wasn't long after they moved in that Adam had surprised her with the swing, they spent many a nights swinging as they sat and talked.

They had talked about marriage, it was something they both wanted but it had been tabled for now. Kim's pregnancy had blindsided them a bit and it was their only focus at the moment.

Blindsided in the best possible way.

At just over three months pregnant now, it was beginning to feel real. They had kept it under wraps, the only person they told was Voight. Kim knew she couldn't work a case properly and she wasn't about to risk their unborn child's life.

Voight was thrilled for Kim and Adam both and he made a few calls and had Kim detailed to a desk. He spun a very believable tale as to why she was now at a desk and no one batted an eye.

It was perfect.

Today was the day they were going to allow everyone in on their secret.

Nicole and Doug had relocated to Chicago, once Nicole was moved from the hospital to the rehabilitation center it just made sense. They had lived a few hours away and it was taxing on Doug and Theresa both, they'd drive Zoe back and forth and it was as if they spent most of their time in the car.

So Doug made the unilateral decision to sell their home, and it sold quickly. With Theresa's input he bought a home about twenty minutes away from Kim and Adam's house.

It was a beautifully custom built home in an up and coming neighborhood, it was a single story home with an open floor plan. Nicole had mobility issues and it worked perfectly for her, it filled with plenty of natural lighting and had a large backyard including a pool. It had been the model home and Doug had jumped at the chance to purchase it, the pool was what sealed the deal. At that point Nicole had just started swimming as part of the rehab process and loved it.

Kim twisted in the seat to face Adam as he drove, "Henry?" Her hand on his thigh, "Solomon?"

"Solomon Ruzek?" Adam scrunched his face up in disgust, "No thank you." He pulled her hand further up his thigh, "You know...you could've given me at least a quickie this morning.."

"You could've waited until I left the bathroom before you peed you know." She retorted.

"When you gotta go..ya gotta go." Adam was throughly enjoying the way Kim was using her hand, "You keep that up, I'm gonna have to pull over.."

"Do it.."

Adam looked at her, "You're serious right now? Now is not the time for jokes.."

"No it's not. I'm up for it, and you're obviously _up_ for it.." Kim unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over the center console, "pull the fuck over, Adam." She whispered into his ear as she nipped at it, her hands working at the button of his jeans.

Zoe was watching the window like a hawk, she was always close with Kim but after everything that had happened their bond had grown exponentially, "They're here! Finally, Aunt Kim and Uncle Adam are here."

Kim checked her reflection in the mirror, "No one is to ever know we did that, ok?" She glared at Adam, "I mean it Adam, no one."

He laughed at her, "Understood. That was fucking mind blowing, you know that right?" Pregnancy had certainly made Kim adventurous, "You're insatiable darlin'."

Kim took a deep breath, "I look okay, right? They won't be able to tell we just had sex..right?" Her face was a bit flushed, but it seemed to be par for the course lately.

"No, Kim. They won't."

Nicole stealthily maneuvered the walker to the front door, "Kim!" Her words were still a bit slurred and conversations seemed to take a bit longer as Nicole often struggled with finding the words she needed.

"Hey!" Kim hugged her, "Sorry we're late..we uh..had some car troubles." Kim was her own worst enemy sometimes, "they're fixed now."

Nicole hugged Adam, "Hi..Adam.." she smiled at him, "Ok?"

"Yes. Perfectly fine. I took care of the car." He smirked at Kim.

The party was in full swing when Kim finally gathered everyone together, "Hey, can I just have a few minutes of your time?"

She waited as the chatter died down, Adam came to join her, placing a quick kiss to her temple.

"First off, how amazing is my sister Nicole?" She asked with tears in her eyes, the crowd clapped in agreement, "Nicole you're my hero. You've overcome so much over the last six months. You've done it with grace, with courage and with a smile on your face. Your strength amazes me, it's endless and it's persistent. It's a trait that few of us have, it's something innate, something you are born with. I'd like to say I embody that same trait, but I don't.."

Adam cut in, "I told Kim I'd let her do all the talking..but I've got to disagree. Kim, you are strong..you've got that trait.." he pulled her into his arms.

"Maybe." Kim replied, "What I'm hoping, is that it can be taught. That you can teach.." Kim brought her hand to her stomach, watching as everyone started realizing what was going on, "..my baby, what it means to be strong. That your niece or nephew will grow up to be as strong as you.."

The house erupted into applause.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Doug held the door open for Nicole and Zoe as they went inside, Nicole had fully recovered physically from her brutal attack. She still fought the demons of that horrific day, but the good days far outweighed the bad.

It helped that her attacker was locked up and would never see the outside world again, he was given a life sentence without parole. Nicole had testified at his sentencing hearing, she looked him in the eye and told her story of survival.

"What floor?" Zoe asked.

"Fourth" Nicole told her, elevators still gave her pause, she reached for Doug's hand.

"Did Aunt Kim say what it was?" Zoe asked as the doors slid closed and the elevator began its ascend.

Nicole was thankful for the distraction Zoe's endless questions brought, "She did not, it's a surprise."

Adam adjusted the small beanie on the infant's head, "I've never held a baby this little.." he remarked, the infant fit seamless into the crook of Adam's arm, "..Kim, this is amazing. You're amazing." He gently placed the infant in Kim's arms.

Their baby was tiny, but healthy. The infant was just a hair under six pounds and seventeen inches long, "I can't believe our baby is finally here.." she dipped her head and kissed the sleeping infant.

"You up for visitors?" Nicole asked from behind the door.

Kim nearly squealed with joy, "Yes! It's about time!" She was chomping at the bit to introduce Nicole to the baby.

They piled in, Zoe greeted Adam with a hug before turning to Kim, "Please tell me it's a girl please!" She held her hands together as if she were praying, "Girl, girl." She chanted.

Adam laughed, "Kim..."

Kim grinned from ear to ear, "Meet Nicholas Michael Ruzek." Kim handed Nicholas to her sister.

Nicole ignored the tears as they raced down her cheeks she snuggled into her nephew, "Nicholas?"

Kim nodded, "Yes. We wanted to name our son after the strongest person we know, and that's you. Zoe, whaddya think?"

Zoe stood on her toes to look at him, "He's cute. Can the next one be a girl?"

Adam and Kim both laughed, "Woah, Zo...let's make sure I don't break Nick before we started thinking about the next one." Adam teased.

Kim was exhausted, the day was filled with visitor after visitor it seemed like it would never end. She loved seeing everyone react to Nicholas, her son was loved by many.

Her favorite thing to do was watch Adam with Nicholas, he was breathtakingly beautiful on his own but toss in their son? Well, it was a thousand times better. She knew she should sleep, both Adam and Nicholas were sleeping soundly.

Adam was in the recliner and Nicholas was on his chest, both of Adam's arms wrapped safely around their son.

A wave of emotion ripped through her, tears of absolute joy fell from her eyes.

She had it all.

 ** _Thanks for reading!_**


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